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Taillon, Polanco among quartet at rookie orientation

Pirates prospect Jameson Taillon looks back on playing in the Arizona Fall League, then talks about how he'll prepare for Spring Training

By Tom Singer
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MLB.com |

Four of the players attending voluntary workouts in Pirate City this week are only passing through Bradenton, Fla.

Outfielders Gregory Polanco and Andrew Lambo and right-handers Jameson Taillon and Brandon Cumpton have another engagement this week: rookie orientation, a joint venture of Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association conducted in Washington.

Formally called the Rookie Career Development Program (RCDP), since 1991 it has been a by-invitation event at which the top prospects from all 30 teams are schooled on what big league life will be like, on how to handle everything from media to finances.

While fans should not read too much into invitations to the four-day seminar -- they hardly come with guarantees of immediate Major League service -- the participation of Polanco and Taillon could be encouraging to those who hope to see the Bucs' top two prospects in Pittsburgh at some point this season.

Clubs have input into which players attend the RCDP, so obviously the Bucs thought it would be a good idea for Polanco and Taillon to go.

Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog Change for a Nickel. He can also be found on Twitter @Tom_Singer. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.